1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to devices used for painting and, more particularly, to roller devices for painting and the trays used with the roller devices.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Roller devices are often used for painting, and special trays are especially adapted for use with the rollers. Conventional rollers have cylindrical shapes, and a trays are designed to accommodate the cylindrical rollers. For example, the following U.S. patents disclose trays especially adapted for use with conventional paint rollers: U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,815,604; Des. 282,882; Des. 286,458; Des. 327,755; and Des. 328,808.
There are a number of deficiencies associated conventional cylindrical rollers. For example, interior corners result from the intersection of two planar wall surfaces, generally at a right angle. To paint such corners with a conventional cylindrical roller would require at least two passes. One pass for one wall and the other pass for the other wall. To same time in painting, it would be desirable if an interior corner of a room could be painted with roller with only one pass required to paint both wall near the intersection at the corner.
Even if only one wall is to be painted in the vicinity of an interior corner, the use of a conventional cylindrical roller makes this task difficult. There is a tendency of the sides of the conventional cylindrical roller to rub up against the wall surface that is not to be painted and cause an undesirable mess. Therefore, it would be desirable if a roller were provided which permits a painting of one wall near an interior corner without rubbing up against the other wall at the corner.
Trays that are used with conventional cylindrical rollers generally have two major tray areas. There is one area for loading the roller with paint, and there is a second area on which excess paint can be squeezed out of the roller. In this respect, it would be desirable if a tray were provided that includes an area especially adapted for squeezing excess paint out of a roller designed to paint two wall surfaces at an interior corner simultaneously.
There are times when it may be desirable to store a roller on a tray without permitting the roller to enter the area of the tray where the roller is loaded with paint. In this respect, it would be desirable if a roller were provided with a device that prevents the roller from undesirably entering the area of the tray where roller loading takes place.
There are times when a painting job cannot be finished in a single continuous time frame. At such times, there are two approaches that can be taken. Either the roller and tray are cleaned and stored for future use or the roller and tray are stored in the presence of paint without being cleaned. Roller trays are generally provided without covers. Therefore, an undesirable amount of solvent or vehicle may evaporate from the paint if the roller and tray are stored in the presence of paint without being cleaned. To avoid this problem, it would be desirable if a roller and tray combination were provided that permits storage of the roller and tray in the presence of paint without permitting an undesirable amount of solvent evaporation from the paint.
Thus, while the foregoing body of prior art indicates it to be well known to use conventional cylindrical paint rollers and trays, the prior art described above does not teach or suggest a paint roller and tray apparatus which has the following combination of desirable features: (1) permits an interior corner of a room to be painted with a roller with only one pass required to paint both walls near the intersection at the corner; (2) permits painting one wall near an interior comer without rubbing up against the other wall at the corner; (3) includes a tray area especially adapted for squeezing excess paint out of a special roller designed to paint two wall surfaces at an interior corner simultaneously; (4) provides a device to prevent the roller from undesirably entering the area of the tray where roller loading takes place; and (5) permits storage of the roller and tray in the presence of paint without permitting an undesirable amount of solvent evaporation from the paint. The foregoing desired characteristics are provided by the unique paint roller and tray apparatus of the present invention as will be made apparent from the following description thereof. Other advantages of the present invention over the prior art also will be rendered evident.